Monthly Archives: February 2011

There is something so simple, but so satisfying in Turgenev‘s work. Every word seems to matter, every scene intentional. Perhaps this is because I’ve only read his shorter works, this novella, First Love, and his ‘short stories,’ Sketches from a … Continue reading →

These are thoughts half-formed, nascent, and wholly mutable as I delve further into Charlotte Brontë’s final novel, Villette, along with the rest of the readers in the Villette readalong. Five chapters into Villette, and my question is: who is Lucy … Continue reading →

It would be impossible for me to post singly on every book I read in a month. This is my attempt to make sure no books slip through the cracks. Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau (translated by Barbara Wright) … Continue reading →

I am addicted to list making. My desk, purse, notebooks, cell phone are littered with lists on note cards, post-its, receipts. Some of these (okay a good number) are lists of books. I like seasonal reading, and I find joy … Continue reading →

There are a few group readalongs I’m participating in during February. I’ll be finishing Naguib Mahfouz‘s Cairo Trilogy with the final installment of Sugar Street, hosted by Richard of Caravana de Recuerdos. I so enjoyed my first experience reading with … Continue reading →

Translated by William Maynard Hutchins, Lorne M. Kenny, and Olive E. Kenny. Honestly, my feelings for this trilogy so far mimic those felt among members of a big family. Sometimes you love being around them, other times you want to … Continue reading →

Something fanciful . . . A touch of clouds and airy spaciousness And lightness. The Birds is an Old Comedy classic by Aristophanes, which according to Wikipedia, was originally performed in 414 BCE at the City Dionysia (major yearly Greek … Continue reading →